Virgin Atlantic, Delta join airlines in requiring negative COVID-19 tests for UK travelers to New York

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More countries stop travel from UK over new coronavirus strain

Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot joins 'Bill Hemmer Reports' with the latest from London.

More airlines have gotten on board with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ask to require passengers traveling from the United Kingdom to get a tested for coronavirus before flying to the Empire State.

Cuomo announced Monday he had asked three major airlines to add New York state to the list of 120 countries requiring passengers traveling from the U.K. to have a negative COVID-19 test results before boarding flights. The U.K. has detected a more virulent strain of coronavirus in the country, which has led to some countries temporarily banning travel to and from the U.K.

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"The strain is so serious that the U.K. has closed down again," Cuomo said. "We are on notice about it. Why don’t we act intelligently for a change? Why don’t we mandate testing before people get on the flight, or hold the flights from the UK now? Many other countries have done this."

The two airlines have agreed to implement the COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers in the UK. (iStock)

British Airways agreed to require passengers to test negative for the coronavirus before departing.

Now, Virgin Atlantic and Delta have also both agreed to do so, as well. 

"Delta, along with our partner Virgin Atlantic, will be requiring new pre-departure COVID-19 testing for all our customers traveling from the U.K to the United States effective Thursday December, 24.  Customers will be required to take a LAMP or PCR test up to 72 hours prior to departure adding another layer of safety when they travel," Delta wrote in a statement to Fox News.

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Travelers will be expected to receive a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to departure. The test results must be negative before a passenger will be allowed to fly. 

The airlines will reportedly begin requiring negative tests this week. British Airways will start its requirement Tuesday, while Delta will begin Thursday.

Virgin Atlantic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.